


Season's Greetings & Mistletoe Meetings

by fallofthereichenbach



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, Mistletoe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-16 23:34:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11839335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallofthereichenbach/pseuds/fallofthereichenbach
Summary: When Weasley's Wizard Wheezes release their Magical Mistletoe to the halls of Hogwarts in the middle of January, chaos ensues. Here is how it affects the lives of a certain Slytherin and a certain Gryffindor who have returned to complete their Eighth Year.





	Season's Greetings & Mistletoe Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> I have read nothing but Drarry fics for the past week or so, so I decided to add my own to the pile.
> 
> Honestly this is inspired by anyone else who's ever written a Mistletoe-related fic, because they are cute as heck.
> 
> Enjoy!!

Harry was just minding his own business and taking a walk during lunch. Ron and Hermione were acting a bit too affectionate for his liking (he loved them together but... Jeez) and the Great Hall felt too loud, so he'd wandered the corridors for a bit in the hopes of clearing his head.

After everything that had happened and everything he'd been through, he was starting to value being alone more and more. His friends were wonderful, of course, but they hadn't seen and done everything that he had. They'd all been through Hell and back, and it was natural to need their own space to think.

Hogwarts had felt hollow and empty and strange for the first months back. Not that many students had chosen to continue education; lots had left to spend time with their families, or mourning the loss of their families. Even fewer had returned for what was called the 'Eighth Year' so that they could complete their NEWTs. Harry had, but then he didn't know what he would have done otherwise. He had nothing better to do, really.

The familiar build up to Christmas had felt almost blasphemous at first; they were preparing a celebration on the grounds where something terrible had happened, and it had felt wrong. But soon the soft, twinkling fairies that fluttered in and out of large pine trees, and the delicate snowflakes that patterned the walls started to ease some of the ache inside. The decorations were minimal, but they were enough.

Now it was January; cold, rainy, and unforgiving once more, and Harry was walking the halls of the castle that was his home for another few months.

The door that he'd just passed by opened, and he vaguely heard someone come out of it. Harry didn't even have time to spin around on impulse to see who it was, for he suddenly found himself unable to move forward. 

He put his hands up in front of him, and felt the invisible barrier that stopped him. Simultaneously it felt like a transparent brick wall was right in front of his nose whilst also there was a rope tied around his waist pulling him back away from it.

Slowly, confused, he turned around and saw that he was not alone in this predicament.

Draco Malfoy was stood about a metre away with his back to Harry, clearly examining a similar barrier that prevented his movement. The invisible rope gave a tug, and Harry had to fight not to move closer to Malfoy. 

Malfoy was one of the few Slytherins to return for Eighth Year. At first Harry had seen the house's unwillingness to return as a sign that they were all still baby Death Eaters, but he soon felt a tiny bit guilty about that when Hermione suggested that they'd all lost family too. Besides, what with all the anti-Death Eater, anti-Slytherin feeling in the air, those that did return had an undeniably difficult time. Many fights had broken out, hexes were thrown like Quaffles, and even more Slytherins had eventually left to go back home. Not Malfoy though. He must have had some secret way to stay out of trouble; Harry only ever saw him in class and in the Great Hall, and he never seemed to stay in any one place for longer than he had to.

Malfoy seemed tired, after the war.

There was no way of knowing which side he considered himself on now; Lucius Malfoy was currently located in Azkaban, but Narcissa and Draco were let off with rather lightly. Harry had spoken at their trial, told the Wizengamot of the ways the Malfoy's had saved his life. He didn't entirely know why he did it, maybe he was just tired of hating people. Either way, it took a while to get Malfoy's scared and wholly confused look out of his mind.

He hadn't spoken to Malfoy ever since the boy had muttered out an uncomfortable "Thanks" after the trial. But now here they were, seemingly trapped.

"Uh, hi," Harry finally said. Malfoy jumped and spun round jerkily.

"Potter?" he said, not entirely as a question.

"Do you know what's going on? I can't seem to move forward," Harry half turned around to run his hands along that invisible wall, and he had to fight the rope around his waist that was steadily trying to pull him away.

"Yeah, we're stuck here." Malfoy said bitterly when he turned around.

"Why?"

"Don't be thick. Surely you've heard what's going round at the moment?"

Same old Malfoy then. Harry repressed a sigh. He'd almost hoped that there had been some change, some progress.

"No, Malfoy, I haven't."

"And there I was thinking you were close with the Weasley's. This is one of their stupid 'inventions', is it not?"

He pointed up at the ceiling above them. Pointing down at them was a cluster of what looked like leaves, with some white berries scattered in the middle. Mistletoe.

To be more specific, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' new Magical Mistletoe™, limited Hogwarts edition, which was in it's trial run. Now that Harry thought it through, he remembered people talking about it and giggling. In fact, he was fairly sure George had fire called Ron and Ginny to discuss marketing only a week ago. And yet it had completely slipped his mind.

"Oh," was all he said, "That's not good."

"Not good? Bit of an understatement! I've been so careful to avoid that horrible stuff - and now, to get trapped under it with you! Of all people!"

Harry couldn't help feel a little offended.

"Hey, I'm sure there are worse people to be stuck under mistletoe with, Malfoy."

Malfoy made a show of considering the point for a moment, before dismissing it.

"Nope. Can't think of any. Ugh, you have got to be kidding me!" That last part was more directed at the plant than Harry, but he still felt the sting of the words.

"Um. So. How do we get out?" Harry thought he might as well get straight to the point. He didn't want to be stuck here any more than Malfoy did.

"If you think I'm kissing you, Potter, then we'll be here for a long time. Just because the rest of the bloody school would jump at the chance to, doesn't mean I'm going to do it."

"Yes, alright, Malfoy," Harry was very quickly getting tired of him, "I remember Ginny asking George about an override, she said it wasn't fair to make people do stuff if they don't want to."

"She probably did, because if we can get McGonagall's permission then the spell will break."

"Why are we still standing here, then?"

And they set off at a slow walk, not quite at each other's side, trying not to bump into the unseen barrier in front of them. Harry wondered what this would look like if anyone saw them. Former Death Eater and the Boy Who Lived taking a nice stroll through the castle. Luckily most people were still at lunch.

"Pretty good magic, though, you have to admit," Harry said, figuring he might as well make some small talk while they were on their way, "If it recognises McGonagall's authority like that. It must be some intricate spell work."

It was no secret that the Weasley twins were clever. Though now George was the only one left you might have expected him to move on from WWW; but no, he simply increased his efforts and took on more staff. Ron seemed set to join him after his exams were done.

"Well it's designed specifically for Hogwarts, isn't it? They probably charmed the stuff to recognise McGonagall's specific magic and identify it as being enough to destroy the spell that pulls people together."

"How do you know so much about it?"

"Literally everyone's talking about it, Potter, I didn't think you were this out of touch with your fans."

So much for polite small talk then. 

"I didn't think that you were that interested in listening to people, Malfoy."

"It was in my best interests to pay attention to how to get rid of the stuff. Y'know, just in case someone was stupid enough to get us both stuck in it."

"Whatever. I guess we should be grateful for Ginny for working out a way to stop it."

Malfoy didn't even dignify that with a response, and so Harry gave up trying.

They didn't encounter anyone on their way to McGonagall's classroom (she was teaching next period and Harry had remembered she hadn't been in the Great Hall, so he hoped they'd find her there), and they didn't talk any more aside from Malfoy throwing the occasional spell at the barrier in a vague attempt to get it to dissolve as soon as possible. Every now and then they'd silently try and walk as far apart as possible so as to determine the boundaries, but soon enough they'd walk to close to the end of their force field and would be sent reeling back in the other direction.

Eventually they ended up outside the Headmistress' door in one piece but with the barrier still holding them together.

Harry knocked, and then slowly pushed open the door. Professor McGonagall was sat at her desk with her glasses perched on her nose, and she looked up when they entered. If she thought they made an odd pair to be paying her a visit then she said nothing.

"Potter. Malfoy. What can I do for you?"

"Well. Um," Harry started, not quite sure what to say. Malfoy simply pointed at the floating Mistletoe which had accompanied them.

McGonagall sighed, and stood up.

"Honestly, this is getting quite annoying. You're the third couple this week."

Harry objected to anyone calling him and Malfoy a couple, but he figured he could complain all he wanted once they were out of this.

"So can you get us out of this then?" Malfoy said sharply.

"Yes, Mr Malfoy, I can. And, as much as this could be a good exercise for you both to get past your differences, I will."

She stood in front of them, aimed her wand at the plant above them, and said a soft "Finite". Despite the fact that he'd heard Malfoy try that at least twice on the way over, there was a loud pop, and the Mistletoe was gone. Malfoy immediately tried to move away from Harry and, sure enough, he was successful. The spell was broken.

Harry was almost disappointed at the anti-climax of the situation.

"Thank you, Professor," he said.

"Thanks," Malfoy echoed, and then he was gone. McGonagall shook her head at them both, and Harry awkwardly followed him.

Malfoy was walking quite quickly away, and Harry had to speed walk to catch up.

"Malfoy!"

"What?" The boy seemed to walk faster rather than slowing down to listen.

"Lucky that McGonagall could help us, isn't it?" Harry was fast running out of breath, and he felt overwhelming relief when the Slytherin stopped suddenly and whirled around.

"Why are you following me?"

Harry didn't know the answer to that question either, other than that following Malfoy was one of the only things he knew how to do. Call it a hobby, call it unhealthy; chances were that if Malfoy was somewhere, Harry knew about it. At least, that was how it had been before. This year, though, Malfoy was making sure that no one knew where he was. This had been the first conversation that Harry had had with him, and it had felt familiar and almost (but not quite) comforting. They might both only speak in petty insults, but at least that was one thing that hadn't changed after the war. It wasn't pleasant but it didn't have to be.

Harry shrugged.

"You're going in the same direction as me now. Are you going back to the Great Hall too?"

Maybe they could walk together if he was.

Malfoy paused. He looked at Harry with suspicion and a fair bit of annoyance.

"No, I've just remembered. I left something in the dungeons."

And he stalked off in the opposite direction.

Harry knew better than to follow him this time. Besides, he didn't need Malfoy. He had friends who were probably waiting for him to show up back at the Great Hall. He didn't need Malfoy to feel normal again. He didn't.

**Author's Note:**

> There will be more to come, I just don't entirely know when! Please leave kudos and comments, I crave that online validation xoxo


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